I love to fly fish! That's why I moved to Montana back in 2005, and part of the reason my husband and I
chose Asheville, North Carolina as our new home last December. How did a Cajun girl like me used to the muddy brown waters of South Louisiana get into fly fishing?
Well, several years ago I was living in Northern Michigan and went to a book signing. Long story short, I befriended the author who was a writer (the author of Snowfly) and a fly fisherman. He offered to take me fishing and introduced me to Robert Travers' stomping grounds - well, his habitat anyways - the trout streams of northern Michigan. Joe taught me to fly fish and introduced me to the beauty and grace of small streams where electric blue damsel flies hovered over babbling waters and delicate, enchanting wildflowers nodded in the breeze.
I learned from him that fishing was a side bar to the enjoyment of the day. The real thrill was standing in a cool stream with fly rod in hand, listening to the birds and the water's warbles and trills - eating take out food and drinking exceptional wine, soaking in the sunshine, just happy to be alive and outdoors.
It was after one particularly good day on a trout stream, when I looked up at him and announced with a smile, "I'm an outdoors girl that's been indoors too long." I felt ready to burst - overflowing with contentment from head to toe. In fact, that's the way I feel ANY day I manage to get outdoors and stand in a river. Not that I ever catch much fish, mind you. But then again, it's not about the fish.
Well, several years ago I was living in Northern Michigan and went to a book signing. Long story short, I befriended the author who was a writer (the author of Snowfly) and a fly fisherman. He offered to take me fishing and introduced me to Robert Travers' stomping grounds - well, his habitat anyways - the trout streams of northern Michigan. Joe taught me to fly fish and introduced me to the beauty and grace of small streams where electric blue damsel flies hovered over babbling waters and delicate, enchanting wildflowers nodded in the breeze.
I learned from him that fishing was a side bar to the enjoyment of the day. The real thrill was standing in a cool stream with fly rod in hand, listening to the birds and the water's warbles and trills - eating take out food and drinking exceptional wine, soaking in the sunshine, just happy to be alive and outdoors.
It was after one particularly good day on a trout stream, when I looked up at him and announced with a smile, "I'm an outdoors girl that's been indoors too long." I felt ready to burst - overflowing with contentment from head to toe. In fact, that's the way I feel ANY day I manage to get outdoors and stand in a river. Not that I ever catch much fish, mind you. But then again, it's not about the fish.
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